jason
23-07-07, 12:53 PM
It was Gerry and my 3rd year at Toomba station and we were glad to be back. A year of heavy work commitments had left not much time for hunting and now we had six whole days of hunting ahead of us. The last two years we had both shot stags .Gerry shooting a 29 ½ inch monster on the Saturday arvo a couple hours after we arrived last year and me shooting a 23 inch stag the second day our first year, so we had a hard act to follow. As we were driving into the homestead 50m off the road looking at us with great content for waking him up was a magnificent stag nearly all white antlers in his prime.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0080.jpg
jerry 29 1/2 inch stag
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0060.jpg
28 pt boar from last year
After settling in and catching up with Robyn and Ernest we headed out to have a look for the stag with white antlers. The big fella eluded us but as it was getting late the pigs started to appear. We were a mob of sows in case some boars came in on twighlight when a mob of chital moved in at about the same time a big basalt warrior walked in. What a choice, pigs or deer? Not very often you get a crack at deer so after the deer we went. Bill and myself got into about 50 while Gerry staid back in the black tea tree. No big stags were amongst them so change of plan, smack that big boar. The closest pigs were in around ten but I could not get a clear shot at the boar when that familiar feeling to all bowhunters happened, the wind on the back of our necks. Oh well at least we were going home to one of Robyn’s home cooked meals. That alone brings Gerry back every year.
Sunday morning Bill and myself went up a tree stand while Gerry set himself up in an ambush amongst fallen timber. A hind came past at 15m but I let it feed past as I am a great believer in karma and as she was about the 30th deer I had let past I was thinking I had a hell of a lot of good karma in the bank. Last year I stalked and sat in tree stands for 6 days to try and get the big fella hanging around. Everyday his hinds came past my stand or position and he staid at 50m some hinds even fed directly under me so I felt the bowhunting god must be going to reward me soon. Gerry also let a young stag and many hinds go past him in case a big fella came in. We went back for brekkie then headed down to look for some more stags Bill had seen last trip. As we were driving down the road we spooked a large stag standing on the road. We drove down another half a km and stalked back. About 200m along Bill spotted a bedded mob of bachelor stags. Amongst them was a 30+inch just tipped out . 2 hrs later I was 30m from the bedded stags waiting for them to stand up. Their sixth sense finally kicked in and they moved off 100m without offering a shot and bedded down again, kicking the original stag out of his bed. Again I crawled my way towards them and got in position. This time a stag in velvet took a dislike to the fat stump in front of them and took them with him, none of them really knowing what they were getting away from, so we left them so we might get a another crack later. The afternoon we spent looking for pigs, plenty of pigs but no good boars were seen.
As usual when I go hunting it rained. I think I have some sought of gift of bringing rain ,if it has not rained for 10 years on a property and I turn up inevitably it will rain. I spent the morning in a tree stand near the rubbish dump. Yet again hinds came past and I was tempted but I held out sooner or later I was thinking. Then out of the wall came the big white antlered stag heading towards his scrape 20m to my right. My prayers had been answered. Just so happened the boys decide to run some horses out in the paddock as he got to 50m. He stopped and watched as a mob of hinds bounded over to the other side of the dump. He decided the scrape could wait and he would check out the girls instead. So close again. I waited a half-hour and decide to go get dry when out he came again. He thrashed a few trees and then decided to bed 80m away under tree looking right at my stand, a Mexican stand off. An hour later I broke and decide to try and sneak down out of the tree stand (very hard to do). I made it and he was still bedded. Now to crawl across the paddock, I had made it half way when the bloody roos busted me. Back to camp. Gerry had not much better luck ut he did get a rushed shot at the 30inch fella but put it over the back of him. The boys came over and told us they saw a good stag when they were out, so Bill and me went out for a look. We found him with a big mob of hinds and back to belly crawling. It was now that I had had enough of these little spotty bastards making me crawl for kilometres and I was going to crack that stag no matter what. An hour later we were 30m from the hinds and fifty from the stag. A nice group of lousy jacks decided we were not meant to be there and decided to go nuts straight above us. That was enough for the hinds they left but the stag decided to rub trees. I knocked an arrow as he was coming closer at 15 I sat up at 10 he looked the other way and I started to draw then he looked at me then Bill then took off before I had even drawn the bow half way.
Tuesday morning when fait and good karma came together. Bill and myself headed out towards the airstrip. As we headed out the main gate I realised I had forgotten my head net , my camel back and my knife. ( I am not a morning person at least I had my bow). So back I went to the house. The 10 minutes it wasted were to pay off as we were heading down the air strip paddock we spotted a stag going into the round swamp at the end of the airstrip.. If we had been earlier we would not have seen him amongst the timber. We got to the top of the basalt wall. peering over we could see the stag feeding on the edge of the swamp about 50m away. We had nothing but basalt and a couple of small gums between him and us. Bill turned and whispered “this is going to be a miracle if you get a shot at this bloke”. We let him feed away a bit so we were behind him as he fed around the swamp. Every time he put his head down we would make for a tree as quietly as possible. Many times the stag turned and looked and busted us in no mans land but he looked right threw us. Finally we made it to the edge of the basalt and swamp. My only hope was o get to a fallen log between us and him Bill wished me luck and said when his head moves you stop. Sounded like a plan. Well I got the fallen tree between me and the stag but it completely obscured him. So I had to disobey the master and crawl knowing and hoping that if I cannot see him he will not see me, sounded good anyway. I finally got to the log and peered over and he was 30m feeder bum on. I knocked the arrow and waited. As if on cue he turned broad side and I drew. I talked myself threw the shot then released. The arrow looked perfect and perfect it was he ran 10m stopped looked back to were he came from and dropped dead. The arrow broke his front shoulder threw his heart and broke the opposite shoulder. To top it off Bill got it all on video and boy was I happy. After the usual photo session we headed back to camp to cape him out. A miracle was called for and the bowhunting gods handed me one. The stag went 150 3/8 points with a 27inch-antler length. After watching the video that night Gerry picked out that it was the same stag as the arvo before. His right inner is shorter than the left.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/ToombaAugust2004-JasonGerry057.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/deer04.jpg
Wednesday Gerry and Bill hunted together with lots of belly crawls and fickle wind stories to tell when they got back. I think Gerry had to build the good karma levels back up after last year. I hunted the Fletcher river but only young stuff was found.
Thursday we decided to hunt for pigs all day and went to a place called dingo swamp. On the way Gerry had a shot a good boar but missed and now was starting to doubt his ability which would curse him the rest of the trip. Gerry did smack a young boar right on the money but we just could not get into the thick rubber vine to retrieve him. Gerry was getting pi*#ed to say the least. When we arrived at dingo swamp there a few sows around and Gerry decide to follow them to see if any good boars come on the seen. We camped on a little point and Bill was to watch one side me the other. An hour later the tiredies we settling in and Bill was snorting like a pig to attract them on his side of the tree cause he assures me he had just dropped off when I said “ hey look at the that boar over there. The snorting did work. Bill is that good a guide he snorts for pigs all night back at camp so you do not have to go far. Truth be told I only woke up cause an ant bit me. The boar was about 200m across the swamp so in I went. I made my way to 30m and he started to get a bet edgy so I sent the arrow on its way. He was down in about 10 steps and he was a big young boar going 24 7/8. The photo does not do the size of him justice. myself and Bill could hardly move him. Tusks removed across the swamp we went. Gerry had walked everywhere and only seen sows and suckers and I slept under a tree and got a boar. I did tell him it is like the old bull and the young bull. The young bull says “let’s run down there and shag some of them cows” and the old bull says” lets walk down and shag em all “. Gerry did point out this was a case of the fit young bowhunter and the lucky lazy arse one. On the way back to camp Gerry had another crack at a good boar but missed some days you cannot win a trick. I know everyone will tell you how good a guide Bill is but you cannot believe it until you go to Toomba. I could have kissed the man after 13hrs of walking in the hot sun to get back to the truck and for Bill to pull out an esky he had stashed with a six pack in it. The man sure knows the way to my heart.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/ToombaAugust2004-JasonGerry049.jpg
Friday had finally arrived and Gerry and Bill headed off after deer and I went hunting with my camera (and bow just in case). I stalked into 25m on 2 spikers and took some good shots. Then another mob of about 20 deer with some good young stags amongst them. I then ended up back at round swamp were I had shot my stag and took photos of mob of sows in the swamp the closest at 10m. The afternoon I headed out and did the same while Gerry and Bill spent the day getting frustrated after deer.
Saturday morning arrived and it was time once more to say goodbye to Robyn, Ernest and Bill. The only let down the whole trip finding out that 2005 was already booked out. So 2006 hopefully here we come.
The gear I used was a pse………………. Single cam at 68 pounds and gold tip hunters with tusker spirits on the front with the shaft and broadhead vassed up the first 6” Thanks again Bill for your never ending knowledge on chital and the property you guide on.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0049.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0062.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0061.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0080.jpg
jerry 29 1/2 inch stag
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0060.jpg
28 pt boar from last year
After settling in and catching up with Robyn and Ernest we headed out to have a look for the stag with white antlers. The big fella eluded us but as it was getting late the pigs started to appear. We were a mob of sows in case some boars came in on twighlight when a mob of chital moved in at about the same time a big basalt warrior walked in. What a choice, pigs or deer? Not very often you get a crack at deer so after the deer we went. Bill and myself got into about 50 while Gerry staid back in the black tea tree. No big stags were amongst them so change of plan, smack that big boar. The closest pigs were in around ten but I could not get a clear shot at the boar when that familiar feeling to all bowhunters happened, the wind on the back of our necks. Oh well at least we were going home to one of Robyn’s home cooked meals. That alone brings Gerry back every year.
Sunday morning Bill and myself went up a tree stand while Gerry set himself up in an ambush amongst fallen timber. A hind came past at 15m but I let it feed past as I am a great believer in karma and as she was about the 30th deer I had let past I was thinking I had a hell of a lot of good karma in the bank. Last year I stalked and sat in tree stands for 6 days to try and get the big fella hanging around. Everyday his hinds came past my stand or position and he staid at 50m some hinds even fed directly under me so I felt the bowhunting god must be going to reward me soon. Gerry also let a young stag and many hinds go past him in case a big fella came in. We went back for brekkie then headed down to look for some more stags Bill had seen last trip. As we were driving down the road we spooked a large stag standing on the road. We drove down another half a km and stalked back. About 200m along Bill spotted a bedded mob of bachelor stags. Amongst them was a 30+inch just tipped out . 2 hrs later I was 30m from the bedded stags waiting for them to stand up. Their sixth sense finally kicked in and they moved off 100m without offering a shot and bedded down again, kicking the original stag out of his bed. Again I crawled my way towards them and got in position. This time a stag in velvet took a dislike to the fat stump in front of them and took them with him, none of them really knowing what they were getting away from, so we left them so we might get a another crack later. The afternoon we spent looking for pigs, plenty of pigs but no good boars were seen.
As usual when I go hunting it rained. I think I have some sought of gift of bringing rain ,if it has not rained for 10 years on a property and I turn up inevitably it will rain. I spent the morning in a tree stand near the rubbish dump. Yet again hinds came past and I was tempted but I held out sooner or later I was thinking. Then out of the wall came the big white antlered stag heading towards his scrape 20m to my right. My prayers had been answered. Just so happened the boys decide to run some horses out in the paddock as he got to 50m. He stopped and watched as a mob of hinds bounded over to the other side of the dump. He decided the scrape could wait and he would check out the girls instead. So close again. I waited a half-hour and decide to go get dry when out he came again. He thrashed a few trees and then decided to bed 80m away under tree looking right at my stand, a Mexican stand off. An hour later I broke and decide to try and sneak down out of the tree stand (very hard to do). I made it and he was still bedded. Now to crawl across the paddock, I had made it half way when the bloody roos busted me. Back to camp. Gerry had not much better luck ut he did get a rushed shot at the 30inch fella but put it over the back of him. The boys came over and told us they saw a good stag when they were out, so Bill and me went out for a look. We found him with a big mob of hinds and back to belly crawling. It was now that I had had enough of these little spotty bastards making me crawl for kilometres and I was going to crack that stag no matter what. An hour later we were 30m from the hinds and fifty from the stag. A nice group of lousy jacks decided we were not meant to be there and decided to go nuts straight above us. That was enough for the hinds they left but the stag decided to rub trees. I knocked an arrow as he was coming closer at 15 I sat up at 10 he looked the other way and I started to draw then he looked at me then Bill then took off before I had even drawn the bow half way.
Tuesday morning when fait and good karma came together. Bill and myself headed out towards the airstrip. As we headed out the main gate I realised I had forgotten my head net , my camel back and my knife. ( I am not a morning person at least I had my bow). So back I went to the house. The 10 minutes it wasted were to pay off as we were heading down the air strip paddock we spotted a stag going into the round swamp at the end of the airstrip.. If we had been earlier we would not have seen him amongst the timber. We got to the top of the basalt wall. peering over we could see the stag feeding on the edge of the swamp about 50m away. We had nothing but basalt and a couple of small gums between him and us. Bill turned and whispered “this is going to be a miracle if you get a shot at this bloke”. We let him feed away a bit so we were behind him as he fed around the swamp. Every time he put his head down we would make for a tree as quietly as possible. Many times the stag turned and looked and busted us in no mans land but he looked right threw us. Finally we made it to the edge of the basalt and swamp. My only hope was o get to a fallen log between us and him Bill wished me luck and said when his head moves you stop. Sounded like a plan. Well I got the fallen tree between me and the stag but it completely obscured him. So I had to disobey the master and crawl knowing and hoping that if I cannot see him he will not see me, sounded good anyway. I finally got to the log and peered over and he was 30m feeder bum on. I knocked the arrow and waited. As if on cue he turned broad side and I drew. I talked myself threw the shot then released. The arrow looked perfect and perfect it was he ran 10m stopped looked back to were he came from and dropped dead. The arrow broke his front shoulder threw his heart and broke the opposite shoulder. To top it off Bill got it all on video and boy was I happy. After the usual photo session we headed back to camp to cape him out. A miracle was called for and the bowhunting gods handed me one. The stag went 150 3/8 points with a 27inch-antler length. After watching the video that night Gerry picked out that it was the same stag as the arvo before. His right inner is shorter than the left.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/ToombaAugust2004-JasonGerry057.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/deer04.jpg
Wednesday Gerry and Bill hunted together with lots of belly crawls and fickle wind stories to tell when they got back. I think Gerry had to build the good karma levels back up after last year. I hunted the Fletcher river but only young stuff was found.
Thursday we decided to hunt for pigs all day and went to a place called dingo swamp. On the way Gerry had a shot a good boar but missed and now was starting to doubt his ability which would curse him the rest of the trip. Gerry did smack a young boar right on the money but we just could not get into the thick rubber vine to retrieve him. Gerry was getting pi*#ed to say the least. When we arrived at dingo swamp there a few sows around and Gerry decide to follow them to see if any good boars come on the seen. We camped on a little point and Bill was to watch one side me the other. An hour later the tiredies we settling in and Bill was snorting like a pig to attract them on his side of the tree cause he assures me he had just dropped off when I said “ hey look at the that boar over there. The snorting did work. Bill is that good a guide he snorts for pigs all night back at camp so you do not have to go far. Truth be told I only woke up cause an ant bit me. The boar was about 200m across the swamp so in I went. I made my way to 30m and he started to get a bet edgy so I sent the arrow on its way. He was down in about 10 steps and he was a big young boar going 24 7/8. The photo does not do the size of him justice. myself and Bill could hardly move him. Tusks removed across the swamp we went. Gerry had walked everywhere and only seen sows and suckers and I slept under a tree and got a boar. I did tell him it is like the old bull and the young bull. The young bull says “let’s run down there and shag some of them cows” and the old bull says” lets walk down and shag em all “. Gerry did point out this was a case of the fit young bowhunter and the lucky lazy arse one. On the way back to camp Gerry had another crack at a good boar but missed some days you cannot win a trick. I know everyone will tell you how good a guide Bill is but you cannot believe it until you go to Toomba. I could have kissed the man after 13hrs of walking in the hot sun to get back to the truck and for Bill to pull out an esky he had stashed with a six pack in it. The man sure knows the way to my heart.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/ToombaAugust2004-JasonGerry049.jpg
Friday had finally arrived and Gerry and Bill headed off after deer and I went hunting with my camera (and bow just in case). I stalked into 25m on 2 spikers and took some good shots. Then another mob of about 20 deer with some good young stags amongst them. I then ended up back at round swamp were I had shot my stag and took photos of mob of sows in the swamp the closest at 10m. The afternoon I headed out and did the same while Gerry and Bill spent the day getting frustrated after deer.
Saturday morning arrived and it was time once more to say goodbye to Robyn, Ernest and Bill. The only let down the whole trip finding out that 2005 was already booked out. So 2006 hopefully here we come.
The gear I used was a pse………………. Single cam at 68 pounds and gold tip hunters with tusker spirits on the front with the shaft and broadhead vassed up the first 6” Thanks again Bill for your never ending knowledge on chital and the property you guide on.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0049.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0062.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/smee99/hunting/100_0061.jpg